Trimming machine



p 1936 c. G. BROSTROM 2,053,320

' TRIMMING MACHINE Filed June 29, 1933 2 Sheets-Shet 1 A L EA/TUA Sept. 8, 1936. c. cs. BROSTROM TRIMMING MACHINE Filed June 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES P'rsar reins TRIMMING MACHINE Application June 29, 1933, Serial No. 678,233

15 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for use in the manufacture of shoes and is illustrated as embodied in a machine constructed and arranged to trim the projecting lateral margins of heel-breast covering flaps which have been cemented to heels of shoes, flush with the breast edges of the heels, as well as to joint the trimmed lateral edges of the flaps to the shank portions of the soles of the shoes.

In the manufacture of shoes provided with Louis heels it is customary to cover the breast of the heel after the heel has been attached to the shoe, with a heel-breast covering flap which is split from the grain side of the heel end of the sole and is secured to the shank portion of the sole. The split flap has an area greater than that of the breast of the heel and it is customary to trim the margins of the flap which project beyond the heel to the outline of the heel breast after the flap has been cemented to the breast. During the flap-trimming operation the trimming cut is frequently continued along the lateral margins of the rear end of the shank portion of the sole in order to remove the forward lateral margins of the flap which frequently project beyond the shank portion of the sole. Moreover, the full thickness of the shank portion of the sole is frequently trimmed, together with the projecting forward lateral edges of the flap may merge gracefully into the shank portion of the sole. The trimming of the flap, or the sole together with the flap forwardly of the heel, is commonly known as the jointing operation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive machine which may be used for trimming heel-breast covering flaps quickly and effectively, as well as for performing the jointing operation. With the above object in view and in accordance with a feature of this invention the illustrated machine is provided with a flexible knife, a member constructed and arranged to carry the knife and to flex the same for forming a. curved cutting section thereof, mechanism for oscillating the curved cutting section, and gages for guiding a heel attached to a shoe past the curved cutting section to trim the lateral margins of a heel-breast covering flap which has been cemented to the breast of the heel and projects beyond the heel, fiush'with the breast edges of the heel, the gages being constructed and arranged to engage the heel adjacent to said edge and to brace the projecting margin of the flap.

margins of the flap, in order that the lateral- To provide for readily substituting a sharp cutting section of knife for a dull section the illustrated knife has the form of a strip knife, the ends of which are maintained in the form of coils from one of which the knife may be fed to the other along spaced slots of the knife carrying and flexing member which is provided with clamps for readily securing the knife to the member and for releasing the same preparatory to adjusting the knife lengthwise.

In order to perform the jointing operation the illustrated machine, in accordance with another feature of the invention, is provided with a blade which is mounted for oscillatory or vibratory movement and is constructed to joint a heelbreast covering flap cemented to a heel attached to a shoe with the shank portion of the sole of the shoe, and a gage constructed and arranged for engagement within the crease formed between the shoe upper and the shank portion of the sole for guiding the shoe past the blade.

These and other features of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations will be described in an illustrated machine and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the illustrated machine portions of which have been broken away;

. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the operating head of the machine in the process of trimming a heel-breast covering flap flush with the breast edge of a heel of a shoe;

Fig. 3is a view taken along line III-III of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a portion of the operating head of the machine in the process of jointing the lateral margins of a heelbreast covering flap cemented to the breast of a heel of a shoe with the lateral edges of the shank portion of the sole of the shoe.

The illustrated machine is described with reference to the trimming of the projecting lateral margins 20 (Figs. 2 and 3) of heel-breast covering flaps 22 flush with the breast edges 24 of Louis heels 26 attached to shoes and is provided with a plate 28 which is mounted for oscillatory or vibratory movement and carries a cutter or strip knife 30 the lower portion of which is flexed to form a curved cutting section 32 of the knife. In order to present the projecting margin 20 of the flap to the cutting section 3'2 of the knife the machine is provided with right and left gages 34, 36 for engaging the right and left sides respectively of the heel 26, and a gage or rest 38 for engaging the breast 40 of the heel. It is desirable that the flap-trimmed cut shall progress from the bottom to the top of the heel and accordingly when the right projecting margin 20 is being trimmed the right side of the heel is in engagement with the gage 34 and the breast 40 of the heel engages one side of the frusto-conical portion 42 of the gage 38, and when the left projecting margin is being trimmed the left side of the heel engages the gage 36 and the breast of the heel engages the other side of the portion 42. The frusto-conical portion 42 of the gage 38 is secured to a shank portion 43 of the gage 38 by a screw 45.

The shoe should be moved in a tortuous path past the cutting section 32 of the knife 30 in order to follow along the breast edge 24 of the heel, and it will thus be clear that the operating parts of the machine should not obstruct the free movement of the shoe. Accordingly, the gages 34, 36 are of flat construction and the knife 30 is narrow in order to permit the shoe to be sharply turned laterally, the cutting section 32 of the knife and. the heel-guiding gages being removed from any parts of the machine which otherwise would interfere with the shoe during the; trimming operation.

The plate 28 is illustrated as formed integral with a sleeve 44 which is secured by a pin 46 (Fig. 1) to a shaft 48 mounted for oscillation in the main frame of the machine. In order to oscillate or to vibrate the cutting section 32 of the knife 30 the sleeve 44 is provided with a depending bifurcated portion 50 (Fig. 1) arranged to straddle a roll 52 which is eccentrically mounted upon a shaft 54. Power is supplied to the shaft 54 by a pulley 56 which is rotated by a belt 58 arranged in driving relation with a pulley 60 mounted upon a shaft of an electric motor 62.

The breast gage 38 is illustrated as formed integral with an angular rod 64 which passes through a recess of a forwardly projecting lug 65 (Fig. 1) of the main frame, the rod 64 being set in different heightwise positions by a screw 68 which is in threaded engagement with the lug. Secured to the forward end of the rod 64 is a support 10 which carries the right and left gages 34, 36 respectively. In order to set the gages 34, 36 so that the projecting margins 28 of the flap may be trimmed flush with corresponding breast edges 24 of the heel, the gages 38, 38 are mounted for lengthwise adjustment along slots 12 of the support it! relatively to the cutting section 32 of the knife. Such adjustment may be conveniently effected by providing each of the gages 34, 36 with an opening l4 constructed to receive a screw I6 carried by the support M3, the screw 16 being clamped to the support after the support has been adjusted heightwise, by an adjusting screw I8 which is in threaded relation with a boss portion 88 of the gage and the lower end of which engages the support I8. In order to protect the operator from the knife a pair of plates 82 are secured to the opposite sides of the front face of the support I0.

In order to replace a dull cutting section of the strip knife 30 by a sharp cutting section the end portions of the knife are maintained in the form of coils 84, 86, the knife usually being fed from the coil 84 to the coil 85. The coils 84 and 86 may be conveniently housed within drums 88, 90 respectively which are constructed and arranged to permit the operator readily to change nives.

To support the intermediate portion of the knife and to form the curved cutting section 32 thereof the plate 28 is provided with a pair of slots 92 constructed and arranged to receive the knife 30 which may be secured against lengthwise movement with respect to the plate 28 by arms 94 which are pivoted at their lower ends to the plate 28 .and may be forced against the knife by screws 96 each of which has an eccentrically arranged head. The cutting section 32 of the knife 30 is supported against rearward displacement under pressure of the work by a hardened plate 9I which is secured to the shank portion 43 of the gage 38 by a screw 83 and may be said to form part of the gage. In order further to insure that the curved cutting section 32 of the knife shall not be deformed under pressure of the work, the frusto-conical portion 42 of the gage 38 is provided with a step portion (Fig. 2) which is constructed and arranged to engage the outer face of the knife.

As above explained, in order to insure that the lateral margins 20 of the flap shall merge effectively into the lateral margins 98 of the shank portion of the sole of the shoe it is often desirable to extend the trimming out along the rear lateral margins 98 (Fig. 4) of the shank portion of the sole. To perform the jointing operation the illustrated machine is provided with a cutting blade I00 having right and left cutting edges I02, I04. The stem of the blade I08 is received in a dovetail slot I06 formed in a split portion of a carrier slide I00, a screw I I0 being utilized to clamp the stem of the blade I00 to the slide I08. A combined guard and gage I I2, which projects laterally of the blade I00 and is located adjacent to an end of the same, is secured by screws II4-to the carrier slide I08 and is constructed and arranged to engage a crease IE3 (Fig. 4) formed between the shank portion of the sole and the shoe upperin order to position the shoe relatively to the blade I00.

The carrier slide I88 is provided with a pair of laterally extending flanges II8 shaped and arranged for engagement within correspondingly shaped guideways of a forwardly extending portion I 20 of the-plate 28. A link I22 is pivotally secured at its lower end to the slide I88 and is fulcrumed at its upper end to a lever I 24 (Fig. 1) which is keyed to a spindle I 26, the spindle being rotatably supported in bearing housings I28 of the main frame.

The slide I08 is held in a raised position by a spring I30 .one end of which is secured to the main frame and the other end of which is secured to a stop I32 clamped to the spindle I26. Upward movement of the slide I68 is limited by the engagement of the stop I32 with the main frame,- the stop being so adjusted thatthe blade in itsraised or inoperative position is substantially inalinement wtih the axis of oscillation of the plate 28 as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. When it'is desired to perform the jointing operation, theblade I00 is lowered through the above described mechanism to the position shown in Fig. 4 by depressing an operating rod I34 (Fig. 1) .the upper end of which is pivotally connected to a lever I36 secured to the spindle I28 and the lower end of which is connected to a treadle I40. Downward movement of the blade I00 and the combined gage and guard H2 is limited by theengagement of another stop I42 which is secured to the spindle I26, with the main frame. In order further to assist the spring I30 in normallymaintaining the slide I08 in a raised positiomthe machine is provided with a spring I44 which surrounds the operating rod I34 and the upper end of which engages a collar I46 carriedby the rod.

In order to perform the flap trimming and the jointing operations the operator, after making the proper adjustments, engages the side of the heel with one of the gages 34, 36 and engages the breast of the heel against the face 42 of the gage 38 in accordance with the projecting lateral margin 20 of the flap to be trimmed. The cut is started at the bottom of the heel and progresses to the top of the heel, the shoe being swung in a tortuous path to follow the breast edge 24 of the Louis heel 26. It will be noted that during the flap-trimming operation the gages 34, 36 and the gage 38 engage a side and the breast of the heel respectively adjacent to the breast edge of the and also support the inner and outer faces of the projecting margin 20 of the flap 22. After both sides of the flap have been trimmed the operator steps on the treadle I41! to move the blade I09 to its lowered operative position (Fig. 4) The jointing operation is performed successively at opposite sides of the shoe the cut starting at the end of the flap-trimming cut and progressing a short distance along the rear lateral shank portion of the shoe which is positioned during such operation by the combined gage and guard H2.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A trimming machine having, in combination, gages constructed and arranged to engage angularly disposed faces of a heel provided with a cover a margin of which projects beyond an edge of the heel adjacent to said edge, a flexible knife, means for flexing the knife to form a curved section thereof, and means for oscillating the knife as the heel is guidedpast the same by said gages to trim the projecting cover margin flush with said edge of the heel.

2. A trimming machine having, in combination, a strip knife, a recessed member mounted for pivotal movement and constructed and arranged to receive and rigidly to hold portions of the knife in the form of a loop, gages positioned adjacent to said loop and constructed and arranged to engage angularly disposed faces of a heel provided with a cover a margin of which projects beyond an edge of the heel adjacent to said edge and to brace the projecting margin, and means for oscillating the member thereby to oscillate the loop lengthwise of its cutting edge to trim the projecting margin guided by said gages flush with said edge of the heel.

3. A trimming machine having, in combination, a knife provided with an elongated cutting edge which is curved laterally, means for oscillating the knife lengthwise of its edge in a predetermined path to sever a projecting breast flap margin progressively along a breast edge of a heel to which the flap has been secured, and gages constructed and arranged to be engaged by portions of angularly disposed faces respectively of the heel which are located adjacent to said breast edge for guiding the heel past the knife, said gages also being constructed and arranged to be engaged by opposite sides respectively of projecting portions of the flap which are located near said edge thereby to support the flap as the heel is moved past the knife.

4. A trimming machine having, in combination, a breast gage arranged to engage the outer face of a breast flap which has been secured to and projects beyond the sides of a heel, a gage arranged to engage one of the sides of the heel and a projecting margin of the flap adjacent to one of the breast edges of the heel, a flexible. knife, means'for flexing the knife to provide a curved cutting section thereof, and means for oscillating said section to trim the flap flush with.

.a flexible knife, means for flexing the knife to form a curved cutting section positioned adjacent to the gages, a rest having a surface for engaging the outside face of the flap and arranged to cooperate with one of said gages and having another surface arranged to cooperate with the other of said gages, thereby to locate the right and left projecting margins of the cover respectively with relation to the knife, and means for oscillating the knife to trim one of the margins of the flap guided by one of the gages and one of the surfaces of the rest flush with a breast edge of the heel.

6. A trimming machine having, in combination, a flexible knife, a member provided with spaced slots for receiving the knife and for forming an intermediate curved cutting section thereof, means for rocking said member, gages constructed and arranged to engage angularly disposed surfaces of a heel provided with a cover which projects beyond an edge of a heel face to which the cover has been applied, and a support positioned adjacent to the gages for bracing the cutting section of the cutter,the heel being guided by said gages past the curved cutting section to trim the cover flush with said edge.

I. A trimming machine having, in combination, a flexible knife, a rocker member provided with slots constructed and arranged to receive:

spaced-portions of the knife thereby to flex an intermediate portion of the knife, gages constructed and arranged to engage angularly disposed surfaces of a heel provided with a flexible cover which projects beyond an edge of a heel face to which the cover has been secured, and means for rocking said member to trim the projecting margin of the cover of the heel guided by said gages past said curved cutting section of the knife flush with said edge.

8. A trimming machine having, in combination, a strip knife, a member provided with a pair of spaced slots constructed to receive the knife and arranged to form a flexed intermediate trimming section thereof, clamps for securing the knife in adjusted position in said slots, means for operating said member to oscillate the flexed section lengthwise of its cutting edge, and gages constructed and arranged to engage a side and the breast respectively of a heel which is attached to a shoe upper and is provided with a heel-breast covering flap the lateral margins of which project beyond the breast edges of the heel, one of said gages being provided with a projection constructed and arranged to brace the flexed trimming section of the knife.

9. A trimming machine having, in combination, a strip knife, means by which the end portions of the knife are maintained in the form of coils from one of which the knife may be fed to the other, a member constructed and arranged to form an intermediate curved cutting section of the knife, means for securing the intermediate portion of of the sole of the shoe thereby to joint correspondthe knife to said member, mechanism for oscillating the member, gages for engaging a side and the breast respectively of aheel to which a heelcovering flap has been applied adjacent to one of the breast edges of the heel, thereby to guide portions of the breast flap which project beyond said edge past the curved section to trim the same flush with the breast edge.

10. In a trimming machine, a blade mounted for oscillation and constructed to joint a cover secured to a heel attached to a shoe with the shank portion of the sole of the shoe, a gage positioned adjacent to the blade and constructed and arranged to engage the crease formed between the shank portion of the sole and the shoe upper, and means for oscillating the blade to perform the jointing operation.

11. A trimming machine having, in combination, an oscillating blade for jointing the lateral margins of a heel-breast covering flap of a sole of a shoe with the shank portion of the sole, and a gage mounted for oscillation with the blade and constructed andarranged to engage within the crease formed between the shank portion of the sole and the shoe upper for guiding the shoe past the blade.

12. A trimming machine having, in combination, a blade provided with a pair of cutting edges, means for oscillating the blade, a gage mounted for movement with the blade, the blade being constructed and arranged to trim the upper end portions of the projecting lateral margins of a heel-breast covering flap cemented to a shoe as well as to trim the margins of the shank portion ing lateral edges of the flap and the shank portion of the sole, said gage being positioned adjacent to the end of and extending laterally of the blade to engage within the crease formed between the shoe upper and the shank portion of the sole of the shoe for guiding the shoe past the blade to perform the jointing operation.

13. A trimming and jointing machine having, in combination, a flexible knife, a member mounted for oscillation about an axis, said member being constructed and arranged to flex a portion of the knife thereby to provide a cutting section thereof, means for guiding a projecting margin of a heelbreast covering flap cemented to a heel attached to a shoe upper past said portion to trim the flap flush with one of the breast edges of the heel, a blade slidably mounted for adjustment upon the member toward and away from the axis of oscillation'of said member, a guard positioned adjacent to the blade and constructed and ar' ranged to engage within the crease formed between the shank portion of the sole and the shoe upper to guide the shoe past the blade for jointing the heel and the shank portion of the sole, and means for oscillating said member.

14. A trimming and jointing machine having, in combination, a flexible knife, a member mounted foroscillation about an axis, said member being constructed and arranged to support the knife and to flex a portion thereof thereby to provide a curved cutting section of the knife, means for guiding a projecting margin of a heel-breast covering flap cemented to a heel attached to a shoe past the cuttingsection of the knife to trim the flap flush with one of the breast edges of the heel, a slide mounted upon the member, a blade secured to said'slide, means for adjusting the slide relatively to the axis of oscillation to vary the are through which the blade is to be swung, treadle-operated means for moving the slide toward and away from said axis, means for limiting the adjustment of the slide with respect to said member, a combined'gage and guard positioned adjacent to the blade and constructed and arranged to engage within the crease formed between the shank portion of the sole and the shoe upper to guide the shoe past the blade for jointing the heel and the shank portion of the sole, and means for oscillating said member.

15. In a trimming machine, a blade provided with a cutting edge, said blade being mounted for oscillation in a predetermined pathand constructed to joint'a cover secured to a heel attached to a shoe with the shank portion of the sole of the shoe, a gage which is positioned adjacent toand extends across and beyond an extension of said cutting edge and is constructed and arranged to engage within the rand crease of the shoe, and means for oscillating the blade to perform the jointing operation.

CHARLES G. BROSTROM. 

